This is another form of card marking that occurs in education, and works under the premise, “there’s no smoke without fire.” Senior managers, when trying to build up a case against a teacher they don’t like, will always look for evidence. This might include lesson observations, student surveys or minutes of meetings.

Sometimes it transpires that, try as they might, there is no evidence to back up their claims of poor performance at all. Then they can simply conclude that they are unhappy in general with the way you are conducting yourself, and it’s your job to make them happy with that.

It’s very circular reasoning: I think something is wrong, I can’t find it, but it just feels wrong, so therefore something is wrong. They create a negative downward spiral for you, and then claim you are incapable because you are on a negative downward spiral.

The very fact that you have created more work for them by invoking capability procedures, even if you manage to come out of the other side of them unscathed, will mean you are ‘trouble’ and may require even more support in the future.

That’s enough to get rid of you in itself. If the stress doesn't get you first, and the evidence can’t touch you, then the poor reputation will in the end.